Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an optical sensor, a recording medium discrimination device, and an image forming apparatus.
Background Art
Some image forming apparatuses, which form an image on a recording medium using an ink or toner, use an optical sensor to determine the brand, the surface condition, or the like of the recording medium. Some optical sensors irradiate the recording medium with the linearly polarized light (S-polarized light) emitted from an irradiation system, and detect the amount of the light changed from the S-polarized light to the P-polarized light due to the reflection on the recording medium using a photodetector and receive the components of the light where the polarization has been changed using a photodetector. By so doing, such optical sensors can detect multiple-diffuse reflection light or internal diffusion reflection light.